Como Se Dice, Disneyland of Food?

Just when I thought Eataly’s New York City location was the greatest place on earth I hear that the Italian food-emporium chain is planning a theme park dedicated to food in Bologna. This is not a joke – I would never kid about food in such a way. The Wall Street Journal wrote an article detailing the delectable vacation destination, which the project’s promoters refer to as a Disneyland of food, complete with renderings.

Whenever someone goes to Italy people ask, “How was the food?” so a tourist attraction such as this certainly seems appetizing. WSJ says, “The city-controlled Centro Agro Alimentare has provided land that today includes a number of unused warehouses for an 80,000-square-meter (almost 20-acre) theme park that would have restaurants, grocery stores, food labs and an aquarium, among other features.” The aquarium seems like an odd attraction; my mind immediately went to the fried chicken restaurant my family and I used to frequent that had the chickens on view in coops for all to see. At least you’ll know the fish is fresh, right?

Italy’s cuisine is central to the country’s history and culture, which is why this idea makes so much sense. It’s the old, “if you build it, they will come,” which is exactly what economists are hoping will happen with this venture. Italy’s economy has been on a downturn and the tourism that this could potentially drum up would make a real difference. The project, which is said to have an estimated $54.9 million price tag, will supposedly be named “Fico Eataly World.” It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but that doesn’t mean my taste buds wouldn’t find it tantalizing. [Source]